Die for cutting coat collar parts



July 21, 1953 J, J. PIETRAll-ESA 2,646,120

DIE RoR CUTTING coAT COLLAR PARTS Filed Feb. 8, 1950 FI G. 2

JOSEPH J.P|ETRAFESA NVENTOR ATTORNEY two parts.

lining and the under-collar roughly to shape;

Patented July 21, 1953 ram' oFFIcE DIE FOR CUTTING GOAT COLLAR PARTS JosephJ. Pietrafes'a, Syracuse, N. Y., assigner to `los. J. Pietrafesa Co., Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 8, 1950, Serial No. 142,960

1 Claim. (Cl. 164-29) My invention relates to a die for cutting collar parts for coats, and more particularly, to a `die for trimming or nal shaping the previously roughly cut-out under-collars and collar-linings for mens suit coats.

The conventional method of cutting out the component parts of a garment is by using a paper pattern. This pattern is laid on a piece of cloth and the garment part is made by cutting the cloth around the edge of the pattern with shears. This method is slow and inaccurate because it is difficult for even a skilled cuttervto follow exactly the outline of the pattern. In the manufactureof garments in quantity, moreover, the necessity for makingdiiierent sizes and styles complicates the problem still further in that many different patterns must be made, stored and used.

The t of a mans suit coat depends largely upon the accuracy with which the collar is made. For good appearance, it is essential that the outline of the left side of the collar be sym- Ymetrical with that of the right side. The collar is made of three parts, (l) the collar proper, which is made of the suit material, (2) the under-collar, which is usually made of a plain material, such as meltcn, and (3) the collar-lining, made of a relatively stiff material, such as canvas, and disposed between the other It is customary to cut the collarnext attach the two together by padding so that the stitches do not show through what is to be the exposed surface of the under-collar; and then trim or nal-shape the composite-material by cutting with shears around a paper pattern. The canvas is applied or attached to the melton before final shaping because the padding stitches tend to distort the melton. The resulting twopart assembly is then used as a guide or form to which the collar proper is shaped and sewed to make the complete collar. The shape and fit of the coat collar depends very largely upon the shape of the under-collar, and the under-collar should therefore be cut with extreme accuracy.

Heretofore, it has been customary to make the under-collar pattern yfor only one-half of the under-collar, from the middle of the neck to one side. A printed scale is provided at the neck end of the pattern so that various sizes of collars can be cut from one pattern, the larger sizes being longer at the neck end. The same pattern is used to cut the two halves of the undercollar as separate pieces. Such a procedure necessitates sewing the two halves of the undercollar together, after which the collar is completed as above described. Even with skilled workmen, the product is apt to be inaccurate. Some vimprovement in accuracy has been obtained by using a pattern the size of the entire under-collar, and cutting the under-collar in one piece. This procedure has the disadvantage of requiring a large number of patterns, one for each style and size, and the under-collar is still not as accurate as could be desired, due to the dii'liculty of cutting precisely with shears along the edges of the pattern. Considerable expense is also caused by the necessity for frequent pattern replacement, as the papergpatterns become worn and frayed in service.

According to the presentinvention, pieces of lining material and of under-collar material larger than and only very roughly approximating the final shape of the under-collar, are attached by padding stitches as above described. This composite material is then folded over at its middle, preferably with the under-collar material outside, and the folded edge sharply creased or pressed. The under-collar and the attached collar-lining are then trimmed in one operation by the use of the cutting die of this invention, the two halves being cut simultaneously by the same knife edges and hence being absolutely symmetrical when the cut material is unfolded. The cutting die is provided with an adjustable stop which governs the size of the nished piece, and enables the various sizes of collar parts to be made with a single die foreach style of collar.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a cutting die for accurately cutting collar parts having two symmetrical halves, which die may be used for different sizes of collars. Further objects are to provide such a die which is relatively inexpensive to make, and quick and easy to use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of an under-collar that has been trimmed by the herein-described die;

Figure 2 is a side view of my cutting die positioned on a cutting block, the die being partly in section along the line 2--2 of Figure 4, and showing the cloth to be cut between the die and the block; v

Figure` 3 is an end elevation thereof; and

Figure 4 is a plan View of the cutting die.

Referring to Figure 1, the one-piece undercollar i0 is shown as it would appear after having been cut by my die and opened out. It will be observed that the under-collarA I@ is completely symmetrical about its transverse midline Il. Figure l is a plan View looking at what will ultimately be the exposed surface of the undercollar, so that the collar-lining and the padding stitches are concealed from View. In Figures 2 and 3, the folded material from which the undercollar lli is cut may be seen. The folded material seen in these figures consists of a layer of canvas l2, which forms the collar-lining, at-

CII

tached by padding stitches to the layer'of Melton or like cloth I3 that forms the under-collar il). The resultant composite fabric is doubled over to form the fold or crease lll, shownat the right of Figure 2, which coincidesk withithe midline il of Figure l. It is convenient in practice to chalk the outer surface of the folded edge. 14,1sothat v the midline il is visibly marked when thecut collar parts are opened. This chalk line may then be used as a guide in the further manufacture of the suit.

Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the die 2@ comprises a metal body 2l, preferablymade of aluminum, the periphery of which conforms to the outline of one-half of the nished undercollar i of Figure 1. The body 2l is apertured at one end as shown at 22 to secure lightness and improve visibility, and the other end is out away as shown at 23, leaving a central bridge portion 2li and a pair of side arms 25. A knife blade Z is secured by means of screws 2l to the body 2l around the edges of its sides and closed end. As will be understood, the knife blade 26 must project beneath the body 2! at a distance f at least equal to the thickness of the cloth to be out.

The bridge portion 24 is recessed to form a groove 28 in which slide 29 is snugly accommodated for smooth axial sliding movement. The slide 29 may be made of steel, and is provided with a slot 3i) having a flange 3l cooperating with the head of a screw 32 threaded into the bridge portion 24 centrally of groove 28. The screw 32 thus serves to limit the movement of the slide 29, and by tightening the screw the slide may be locked in any desired position of adjustment. In order to determine the setting of the slide 29, the slide is provided with index marks 33 cooperating with scales 34 on the upper surface of the bridge portion 24. The sca-les 3:3 are shown in Figure 4 as marked in coat sizes ranging from size 3G to size 55.

The end of the slide 29 toward the open end of the die is cut away as shown atV 35,7and'has secured thereto a bifurcated leaf spring 36, by means of rivets 3l. The stop 38, which is substantially Lshaped in cross-section, is secured to a down-turned flange at the free end of the leaf spring 36 by means of rivets 39. The proportions of the parts are such that the lower flange or foot 40 of the stop 38 is normally disposed in a plane beneath the edge of the knife blade 26, so that the leaf spring is deected upward as shown in Figure 2 when the die 26 rests on a flat surface. The foot is chamfered as shown at 4I to permit it to slide moreeasily under the fold lli of the composite material to be out. The vertical portion of the stop 38 serves to position the composite material with respectto the die 20. It will be observed that the straight side arms 25 forming the open end of the die are long enough to project beyond the farthest possible position of the stop 38 away from the bridge 211, so that all sizes of under-collars for which the die may be set can be cleanly cut. While it is man convenient thus to leave open the end of the die adjacent the stop 38, it Will be understood that the body 2l could be provided with a cross-bar between the free ends of the side arms 25, similar to the bar at the opposite end of the body 2 l, as such a cross-bar would be beyond the range of movement of the stop 38 and hence would not interfere with it.

Operation The composite material to be out is prepared and folded as above described, and laid on the cutting block 65, which may be made of hardwood or other suitable material. The die 2S is prepared for cutting the desired size of under-collar by-looseningthe screw 32, adjusting the slide 29 until the index rnarks 33 are aligned with the desired size marks on the scales 35i, and the screw tightened to lock the slide in that position. The die 2i? is then placed on top of the folded material, and the foot lill of the stop 33 slid under the fold it, care being taken to see to it that the material is smoothly disposed beneath the die with the fold it snugly against the stop The resilience of the leaf spring 36 insures that the foot iii will be held snugly against the cutting block 45, so that the foot d, which is quite thin, produces practically no distortion of the material. Next, the die is struck a heavy blow, for example by the head of a conventional die stamping machine, whereupon the knife blade 2G cuts entirely through the folded composite material. The die is then lifted, and the out piece removed and unfolded. `The result is an under-collar with collar-lining attached, that is perfectly symmetrical about its midline i i, as shown in Figure l.

The advantages of cutting undercollars collar-linings as described above, will be evident to those skilled in this art. The collar-lining nia-- terial being attached to the under-collar material before these parts are trimmed to their final shape, and these two parts being die-cut simultaneously from the composite material, their edges are always in perfect alignment. The two halves of the under-collar, being cut simultaneously by the saine knife blade 26, are necessarily perfectly sy netricaL The open construction of the f oermits maximum visibility, so that the operotor may see that the material lies smooth and fiat before the trimming operation. The simplicity Vof operation insures speed and accuracy without highly skilled operators.

Since the stop 38 is adjustable for different sizes, a single die 2G may be used for all sizes of the same collar style. Because the same collar style is often used on various styles of coats that differ only in other details, a few basic dies will ordinarily sufce to cover a clothing manufacturers entire line of mens suits.

While there is herein described and in the drawings shown an illustrative embodiment of the inn vention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may comprehend other constructionsl arrangement of parts, details and features, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I desire to be limited, therefore, only by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim: Y

A die for cutting coat collar parts, comprising a body, the periphery of which conforms to the outline of the collar part when folded double along a transverse midline at the back of the neck, said body comprising a central substantially rectangular portion with two parallel side arms extending from one end thereof defining an opennally recessed guideway in its upper face midway the side edges thereof, a slide mounted in said recessed guideway formovement longitudinally of said body with its upper side substantially ilushk With the upper face of the body, collar size indicia and an index mark located one on said body and the other on said slide whereby said slide may be adjusted for cutting collar parts of diiTerent sizes, means positioned below the upper surface of the slide for releasably locking said slide in adjusted position, a leaf spring secured to said slide and longitudinally extending into the opening between said side arms and a stop carried by the free end of said leaf spring and adapted to be resiliently held thereby with the bottom of the stop contacting a flat surface on which said die may be placed, whereby a doubled piece of cloth may be placed under said die with its fold abutting said stop and said cloth may be cut by said die to form a one-piece collar part exactly 6 symmetrical with respect to said fold and of a size corresponding to the setting of said slide and stop, and said stop being of angle formation to provide a horizontal foot portion extending toward said central rectangular body portion and adapted for placement under the adjacent folded end of the cloth to be cut.

JOSEPH J PIETRAFESA.

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